More User Reviews:

Poured into a standard pint glas a dull lightly hazed deep burnt orange with a one finger slight off white head atop.Fresh citric hops in the nose,not overly sharp just juicy and fresh smelling,a not overly sweet firm malt base is there as well.Like the nose the flavors are dominated by overripe citrus fruitiness with mild grassiness to boot,there is enough malt to "kinda" hold up the citric blast.A great ipa,love the freshness in the aromas and on the palate.

As a big proponent of the Citra hop, I was very excited to learn that Dark Horse would be including an "all-Citra" version of Crooked Tree in their variety pack. Artic Dekoorc Eert pours basically the same color as its FF and Cascade hop counterparts - a murky and mostly opaque, cloudy amber and copper color with a soapy, thin, big-bubbled, gray-tinted head. No lace, no legging, not much action with the cap.

The first whiff definitely contains some citrus, but not quite like what I was expecting. I was expecting a tropical and citric fruit explosion as I leaned it, but surprisingly enough, I don't even think the citrus was the most prominent portion of the aroma. There were an equal amount of brash leafy and grassy notes; earthy and almost a big dirty. It's not bad at all, but it's it's not at all what I was expecting.

Don't mistake me; there is definitely a helping of the citric character to be found - mild grapefruit peel, very light tangerine and pineapple - it's just met equally as strong by the hop forestry that's taking place next to it. The malt gives off the same caramel tinted vibe as in the FF and Cascade variants, but the hop bill in this one is a bit more pungent and robust, toning down and slashing through the malt's sweetness just a bit more. This one smells like a doozy already.

I take a sip and my taste buds are met with a mouthful of bitter citrus pith, juicy grapefruit centers, orange peels, and a more-than-secondary helping of white pepper and ash-like spiciness. The hops evolve on the palate and unleash a big-time pine needle characteristic, slightly oily and resinous as you may expect. All the while, a menacing bout of bitter citrus peels are tingling the corners of your mouth.

The malt is definitely more-soft spoken in Artic than in both FF and Edacsac - again, I believe this is due to the presence that this all-Citra hop bill has on your palate as compared to the other two. If I'm not mistaken, the malts did not change for any of these variants (feel free to correct me if I am misinformed). The aftertaste is slightly spicy with a citrusy and resin-filled bitterness. Medium-ish bodied with lower than expected carbonation; oily and slick mouth feel.

When I heard about the Dark Horse 12-pack with Citra, FF, and Cascade variants of Crooked Tree, I figured that Citra would be my favorite. And I was right. But, I think I still may prefer the original Crooked Tree over the all-Citra version. Artic Dekoorc Eert was definitely a good beer, but it wasn't exactly like I was expecting. It didn't blow me away like many other Citra-style beers have. Just goes to show you that you can't just throw in an all-Citra hop bill and end up with a masterpiece. While Artic is definitely tasty, it might be one of my least favorite Citra-centric beers to date.

Vertical tasting with the other crooked trees. All very dark caramel color. Nice malty smell with a bit of citrus. Not overly citrus flavor. Quite malty like the others. Nice smooth finish for me. Fun little IPA. Third favorite of the 4 I tried. Easy drinking, but the FF and Cascade were better.

For the sake of spelling ease, Citra Crooked Tree pours an attractive gold color. It looks slightly hazy. Backlighting gives it more of an orange look. A soft white head tops it off. It’s rather modest, standing less than a finger in height. It holds steady there for a while though. Lacing was sticky and moderate. Looks good.

The nose is impressive. It has a strong citric hop scent. It features grapefruit, orange, and mango notes that smell delicious. The malt base smells pretty sturdy. There are some caramel and bread-like notes. The caramel doesn’t come through all that strong. That’s a big plus. Still smells very hop forward…and delicious. Alcohol is there, but isn’t very strong. 6.5% seems about right. Smells good!

The flavor is likewise impressive. I honestly believe this might be as good as the original Crooked Tree. The malt base features some sweet caramel and bready flavors. The caramel flavor is mild and anchors it down nicely. It’s not overbearing. The hops are very flavorful and are allowed to shine. Citrus flavors orange, grapefruit, and mango are easily the focal point. It’s nice and bitter, but is far from a palate wrecker. Alcohol isn’t all that noticeable. It’s simply a very flavorful, hop forward IPA. Really good stuff.

The body is medium. Carbonation seems light and reserved. It is very smooth and easy drinking. Goes down far too easily. I could probably handle a few of these in a sitting given the opportunity. It is that good.

I’m really impressed with this Citra variation of Crooked Tree. In my humble opinion, it is as good as the original. Perhaps a little better. I didn’t expect that to be the case. Citra hops are very flavorful and work extremely well with this recipe. Not much to complain about here. Really good stuff.